


Don't Get Attached (You'll Get Hurt, My Dear)

by love_a_sexy_trash_can



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Cole and Kai recognize each other's smell, Hoodies, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Mutually Unrequited, Unrequited Love, kai stole cole's hoodie a lot, y'know how people have their own smell? yeah that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 23:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_a_sexy_trash_can/pseuds/love_a_sexy_trash_can
Summary: When the heart doesn't listen, it usually leads to pain...





	Don't Get Attached (You'll Get Hurt, My Dear)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [I’m not gonna sit here and deny what I’m pretty sure I felt](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/487975) by soda-syrup. 



> soda-syrup's lava angst pushed me to actually write this :)

“Hey, Kai?” Cole asked, making the other jump from his seat on the couch. The sleeves of the hoodie fell way past Kai’s wrists. Cole peeked from behind the corner before making his way closer to the Master of Fire.

“Uh, yeah? What's up?” Kai asked, trying to play off the fact that he was wearing the black hoodie like it was his own. He liked how big it was, how it couldn't settle on his shoulders because it was about four sizes larger than he was. He could hide in all the fabric if he wanted to (and he has).

Cole rubbed the back of his neck. How could he say this without offending Kai? It wasn't even that cold and couldn't he keep himself warm with his element?

“Is that my hoodie?” Cole asked first. It was better than asking  _why_. Still, Kai’s face fell but he recovered quickly.

“Oh, you know, it was just one of those… um, I- uh… Well, yeah. It is yours,” Kai finally said softly, shuffling his feet. Cole chuckled; Kai was so adorable when he got all shy.

He just wished he could feel the same for Kai. He knew.

“Can I… Can I have it back?” he asked. He waited for Kai to meet his eyes. It never took long for the brunet to meet the larger man’s eyes the way it would be if he were anyone else.

“Oh! Uh yeah, sure. Sorry for taking it,” Kai said, yanking the hoodie off him as if it had the ability to burn him if he didn't remove it quickly enough. He wanted to add “so many times” to his apology, but Cole didn't need to know how easily Kai had grown attached to that one article of clothing, well worn and taken care of. It smelled so much like Cole, earthy and sweet. He folded it half-heartedly and with less care than the hundreds of other times before. He tossed it to Cole, who caught it with one hand.

“Thanks, dude,” Cole said, forcing a smile on his face. Why did this feel so awkward… _painful?_

“No problem.” Kai shifted his weight and scratched at his stomach. He didn't know what to do. What else could he say? He didn't want to share how he felt. Cole’s face already answered him a long time ago- _Not interested. Friends?_

But his heart was never one to listen.

“Well, I'm just gonna go to bed. See you tomorrow,” Kai said, rushing past him to avoid that suffocating feeling in the room, but it followed him.

“Uh… okay.” It was barely nine, Kai never slept at this hour. Maybe he could have worded what he said differently? Cole was never one to be good with words. He unfolded the hoodie and smiled. Kai took care of it. He tugged it on; he didn't have a furnace constantly burning in his stomach.

But Cole didn't anticipate how awkward it would feel to go back to their shared bedroom. Kai was already in bed, his back facing the room. Aside from Cole, the brunet was the only one in there. It was even worse because their beds were right next to each other. Still, he survived and sat on his bed. The room was dark so he turned on his lamp and pulled out an old sketchbook to keep himself busy.

Cole didn't realize until halfway through adding details that he was drawing Kai huddled on the couch, eating strawberries… and wearing his hoodie. Confused, Cole set down his pencil and leaned back. Without thinking, he lifted the front of his hoodie to his nose.

The smell hit him. Usually, people couldn't tell certain smells on their own clothing because it's their smell. But  _this_ wasn't his. It was like cinnamon and something of a campfire. It made him feel warm and he couldn't stop breathing it in.

Cole couldn't find one part of his hoodie that didn't smell like this.

_This is how Kai smelled._

Cole pulled the sleeve away from his face. How did he know that? Why did he even think that? And why was he even smelling his own hoodie?

He stared at the half-finished sketch. _He was so beautiful…_

Cole rubbed his eyes as hard as he could. Did he make a mistake? He did, didn't he? He thought that he didn't… It didn't feel like he returned those feelings from before. Was he wrong?

He was wrong.

And that entire time, Kai was still awake, waiting, _hoping_ that Cole would change his mind and tell him how much he loved him, to hug him close to his body.

But he never did, and Kai didn't know what hurt more- Cole not loving him back, or Cole not giving him the peace of mind by at least telling him that he just wanted to be friends.

 _Neither of them wanted to be_ ** _just_** _friends._ __

**Author's Note:**

> i don't write angst often........ i should fix that >:3c


End file.
